We've just had the Miss Universe pageant in the Philippines, where Miss France Iris Mittenaere is crowned in the pageant's 65th run. While most of us are focusing on the top 13 or top 9 to top 5, we are focusing on the host of the pageant itself - Steve Harvey, who had a blunder last year, has redeemed itself and "got it right" this time.

Everyone has had its gaffes, and some were worse; like that one time your sales team didn't get the quota. Especially that one. While you do not want to look at the failure, it still hits everyone hard, as if they had no hope of getting through the rest of the quarter. Worse, some of your team members may take the job that they are having for granted.

If you, your team members or the team as a whole are experiencing these, it's time to take a break and think: What could have been done better? What could have been halted? Do we need an "escape plan" now? You can think of your happiness at work first, then after you learn through the next action plan that you and your team had set, work on it.

Steve Harvey was able to rise through the miss that he had, albeit nervous, through the right plan and a funny attitude. Notice that he made this year's pageant livelier. You can do that too, and your team can get back on its feet.

The Sales Leadership Masterclass is open to accept future sales leaders aiming to exceed their targets this 2017! Led by its resource speaker, International Sales Expert and Author Tom Abbott, this Masterclass is the top sales seminar you need to see! Rise above the challenge and attend the Sales Masterclass that you will need this 2017!

The Sales Leadership Masterclass will be held on Friday, March 31, 2017 at the Tower Club Makati. Reserve your seats by calling Ex-Link Events at (02) 633-0153 or 643-3887. You can also contact them by texting 0920-924-2532 or 0920-981-4376; or through email at info@exlinkevents.com.

Events are widely acknowledged as the pregnant womb of possibilities. It is tantamount to both social and economic standing of different bodies converged in a place to meet their ideals and generate a substantial relationship. Putting it in a business construct, events such as conferences, seminars, meetings, product launches and exhibits are the vital tools needed by the business sector in effectively communicating their products and services to their target market.

One crucial requirement for an individual or a committee must fulfill in achieving a successful event is for it to be crafted intricately through a large scope of planning up to its smallest and finest detail. However, to avoid mishaps with these kinds of tedious events, event management should be supervised by seasoned event planners who can efficiently demonstrate their vast knowledge to certain issues and approach regarding financial and infrastructural mechanisms fairly provided in event management.

To give you an overview of what are the things we must take in consideration when planning an event, here are the five factors to consider in Event Management:

1. Objective of the Event

In planning an event, the objective of the occasion must be defined so that the transition of the procedures in event management will run smoothly and as planned. Also, it will serve as the foundation of what kind of treatment you are going to apply in handling the event.

2. Timing and Location

Now that you have a purpose, it’s time to settle for the convenient time and location of the event. The venue must be booked six months in advance to meet the date of the event accordingly. Moreover, we must also consider the availability of the facilities, accommodation of the attendees according to the the room capacity of the venue. If you are expecting guests from other places, you should consider a location near an airport or a hotel and to make it more comfortable and practical there has to be a parking lot.

3. Event Checklist

Event checklist can be considered as the blood of the event. You have to check it simultaneously if it’s in the right circulation or you’ll lose one great aspect in event management - control. It consists of responsibilities distributed to the members of the event committee be it in audio-visual equipment, amenities, catering, clean-up crew and ceremonies.

4. Finances

Event management is also proper financial handling. For you to come up with a successful event you must formulate an accurate and comprehensive budget. In addition, it is advisable that you’ve taken account all the income and expenses including hidden cost and in-kind support from sponsors associated in the event’s activities. Always remember, do not overspend and ensure your staff to adopt safe cash handling practices.

5. Publicity

Publicity is the main core of events. It is a themed activity designed to attract the public audience and encourage a fun and vibrant ground for community connectivity. Nowadays, different publicity approaches are mainly influenced by mediums such as television, print, radio, and online, consequently raising awareness and exposure of the event.

With these five factors, you are now one step closer to

For the past 16 years, Ex-Link Management and Marketing Services Corporation skillfully piloted well-known events and established their own brand as one of the most credible marketing and management industry in the Philippines. Get in touch through (02) 633-0153, 643-3887, through SMS at 0920-924-2532 or 0920-981-4376, or through email at info@exlinkevents.com.

Sometimes, it's hard to reach past the quota that was given to you - you make all these calls to let people know that you are selling a product or a service, and yet only a few reply back. It's really frustrating, so you tried to know the ways to avoid those instances.

The thing is, researching on your own might still not be enough. In some cases, you'll need inspiration. We know that feeling - and guess what, we have an international sales expert who will share to you best sales practices and motivate you to present your pitch better.

His name is Tom Abbott, and he has brought his sales expertise working with different local and international brands with him for the Sales Leadership Masterclass.
The Sales Leadership Masterclass is open to accept future sales leaders aiming to exceed their targets this 2017! Led by its resource speaker, International Sales Expert and Author Tom Abbott, this Masterclass is the top sales seminar you need to see!

The Sales Leadership Masterclass will be held on Friday, March 31, 2017 at the Tower Club Makati. Reserve your seats by calling Ex-Link Events at (02) 633-0153 or 643-3887. You can also contact them by texting 0920-924-2532 or 0920-981-4376; or through email at info@exlinkevents.com.

This is the main question: Why hold an
event?We spend thousands or millions of
money in holding an event but still we go ahead, and make the event happen.

Here are the 10 reasons why we must hold an event:

1.Communication
of Vital Information

Conferences, Congresses or Seminars are events that
communicate vital information. Most of the information that you can gather here
are cutting-edge.

This is the reason why even if the meeting is far and
require you to take a long time to travel you will still go and attend the
event.

2.Achieve
Consensus

In some cases, conferences and congresses have resolutions
to be approved by the attending members of the event.

In the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and
Tourism Congress of the Philippines, two associations I am a member,
resolutions at the end of the event are being discussed and announced as
approved by the body.

This is one reason why events are critical in the society.
The event produces concrete actions.

3.Create
Product and Service Awareness

In exhibitions, product and service awareness are achieved.
In the marketing world, if there is awareness, there is a chance that there
will be product and service trials – the start of creating a meaningful
relationship with the target market.

4.Create and
Expand Networks

We attend events like conferences and exhibitions to create
and expand our network. In terms of our personal branding, we place ourselves
in the middle of the action and get to shake hands with our future partners and
clients.

This is the magic of the actual event.

5.Bring
People Together

Concerts or movements need an event to bring people
together. This moment is priceless. Beyond networking, we create a sense of
togetherness. Bringing people together foster the spirit of human enterprise.

The recent Fusion Concert is an event that brings people
together - believers that the Original Pilipino Music (OPM) must grow and
continue to thrive in our society.

6.Gain
Acceptance

Events provide an idea a platform to gain acceptance. Events
are powerful communication triggers that allows people to be accustomed to
ideas.

The much-awaited Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas
is the home of new ideas trying to gain acceptance to us consumers.

7.Provide a
Brainstorming Platform

I was witness to the breakout workshops of the United Print
Media Group (UPNG) and Tourism Congress Philippines. UPMG workshops, talked
about what they will do in the age of digital. The TCP workshops discussed ways
to improve the support of the government to our existing tourism assets.

8.A
Response to an Issue or Concern

The different rallies staged by cause-oriented groups are
social events that took place as a response to an issue or concern.

The different associations do the same thing as a response
to a pressing issue that affects their industry.

9.Media
Exposure

Events are leverage for media exposure. Small enterprises or
event big companies use the event to gain media exposure.

Media exposure is part of the benefits of creating and
attending an event.

10.Memorable
Experience

We create events to provide a memorable experience. I
remember the first MICECON produced by the Department of Tourism in partnership
with PACEOS, it was magical. I remember the first time I attended the Ad
Congress it was fantastic!

We create to provide these experiences that changes lives
and perspectives. We attend to gain insights and take a piece of that event and
place it in our hearts.

Experience is the ultimate elixir of
life; we get it instantly because of the events that we become part of.

The Philippine Economy's reported to be rising, but do we know enough to determine our future business decisions? To give you a head start, here are 5 ways to know more about the Philippine economy.

Read/Watch/Listen to the News. There are news channels and broadsheets which gives more emphasis on business, and they even have their own set of analysts.

Observe your surroundings. Even for just one day, stick yourself to a place and take a look at the surroundings -sometimes, to see is to believe.

Learn their culture. Sometimes, observing is not enough - you may want to mingle with the folks and get their sentiments, as well as what do they need.

Analyse discussions brought by experts thoroughly. From the analyses brought by different experts in the media, you can get a closer look by predicting what will be the outcome in the future. In some cases, you need to thoroughly take a closer look through trusted sources.

Attend conferences related to business. Aside from the benefits of talking to fellow businessmen, conferences showcase key resource speakers who will bring in helpful insights that will add value to your knowledge.

There are many ways to know more not just about the Philippine economy but also the economies of other countries. Then again, it's all about getting knowledge.

The Manila Times' 5th Business Forum will be held at the Ballrooms 1 to 3 of the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City this February 10, 2017 from 8:00am to 3:00pm, featuring President Rodrigo Duterte, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and World Bank Lead Economist and Program Leader Ms. Birgit Hansl.

Tom Abbott is a sales expert who has served multinational companies for more than a decade, helping them improve their sales performance and produce their sales leader.

This year, it's you and your company's turn to improve your sales performance, understand the clients' needs better and close more deals. Attend the Sales Leadership Masterclass this March!

The Sales Leadership Masterclass is open to accept future sales leaders aiming to exceed their targets this 2017! Led by its resource speaker, International Sales Expert and Author Tom Abbott, this Masterclass is the top sales seminar you need to see!

The Sales Leadership Masterclass will be held on Friday, March 31, 2017 at the Tower Club Makati. Reserve your seats by calling Ex-Link Events at (02) 633-0153 or 643-3887. You can also contact them by texting 0920-924-2532 or 0920-981-4376; or through email at info@exlinkevents.com.

It is this time of year that you are trying to review and firm up your role as an event manager and leader in running your event management company, and implementing your clients' events.

The truth is the change that you want to happen in these areas must begin inside you. Change must take place inside out.Change yourself, and change your world.Recently, I watched XXX: Return of Xander Cage, in one scene I like what Xander said to a child, he said, “the world is big but it perfectly fits in your heart.”Having this mantra, here are my top 5 qualities to be a great event manager:1. Great Communicator

“Good Communication Is As Stimulating As Black Coffee, And Just As Hard To Sleep After.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh

It is the number one skill and gift that an event manager must have whether he or she is engaging with clients, suppliers and staff.We, as an event manager, live and die with this skill. It is only imperative that we become the best in communication.2. Laser Focus

“It’s easy to dream about it … Much harder to execute it ...Work!” – Gary Vaynerchuk

I love Gary Vaynerchuk, my top reason is that he is super focus on what he does, and that is to become one of the best entrepreneurs in this digital age.

His wine library and media agency are inspirational stories that show how he is hustling to become what he envisions to be.Event managers must be laser focused on what their objectives are whether in handling their in-house events or clients' events.3. Innovation Driven

The father of modern management can’t go wrong when he said this. Innovation in the event management industry is a competitive advantage that all event managers must have in their DNA.In the event management industry, it is innovate or die. Only those event managers that are constantly innovating will avoid being left behind.4. Positively Positive

”Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” – Helen Keller

The event management industry is only for people with a strong nerve and a positive mind.Event Management like life has peaks and valleys. An event manager must always be positive during bad and difficult situations.Event managers are solution finders. This is one quality they are being paid for. Only those event managers that have a positive mind and outlook can have the ability to find solutions to pressing matters and situations at hand.5. Genuine Accountability

“Accountability breeds response-ability.“ - Stephen Covey

Event managers must be accountable. There is no other way to be successful in this demanding field than to be accountable.All the worries and pains of clients are erased, and they experience something magical and unforgettable, only if the event manager practices genuine accountability.Indeed, after the pitch, talk is cheap and action is like the baseball bat that can hit a homerun to the hearts of your organization and clients, if you are handling and swinging it with hands that know genuine accountability.In summary, these are my top five qualities that an event manager should have in the year 2017. I am curious if these qualities that I hold dear will change in the next year. This depends on the experiences and journeys that I will have this year.In addition, you may add other qualities as you like and by no means what I wrote here is exhaustive. But one thing for sure, these qualities can bring you at the top of your game.See you at the top!

It's 2017, and artificial intelligence is becoming the norm. When a potential client or customer first contacts your company through Facebook or email, they want fast response - they did get one, in the form of canned messages.

These simple things matter, and they add value to the interaction with the client. There are far advanced technologies for customer interaction being built (or already built), and it's enticing to integrate it into your (or your company's) process, but should we rely on these new tech to close deals?No.

Sales is also Customer Service; and in Customer Service, nobody wants to talk to robots. In that sense, while we don't say technology is bad (it's very helpful, that's true), we shouldn't rely on technology 100% to close deals.

Technology's there to help you be productive. Don't let them take over your work. This is the reason why we're human - and even if we find a way to make robots feel human, it still feels better talking to a fellow human than a robot.
The Sales Leadership Masterclass is now open to accept future sales leaders aiming to exceed their targets this 2017! Led by its resource speaker, International Sales Expert and Author Tom Abbott, this Masterclass is the top sales seminar you need to see!

Take note, the rate per head for this Masterclass is slashed by Php2,000 until January 31, so reserve your seat now!

The Sales Leadership Masterclass will be held on Friday, March 31, 2017 at the Tower Club Makati. Reserve your seats by calling Ex-Link Events at (02) 633-0153 or 643-3887. You can also contact them by texting 0920-924-2532 or 0920-981-4376; or through email at info@exlinkevents.com.

There are a few great sales people in the world - some of them are writing their skills and expertise on print and online. Do you want to be one of them? Let's take a look at an answer on Quora to know what are the characteristics of a great sales person:

The next time you stumble upon this question, take note of Mira's answer.
The Sales Leadership Masterclass is now open to accept future sales leaders aiming to exceed their targets this 2017! Led by its resource speaker, International Sales Expert and Author Tom Abbott, this Masterclass is the top sales seminar you need to see!

Take note, the rate per head for this Masterclass is slashed by Php2,000 until January 31, so reserve your seat now!

The Sales Leadership Masterclass will be held on Friday, March 31, 2017 at the Tower Club Makati. Reserve your seats by calling Ex-Link Events at (02) 633-0153 or 643-3887. You can also contact them by texting 0920-924-2532 or 0920-981-4376; or through email at info@exlinkevents.com.

This is your year as an event management professional. All the
things that you set your mind to achieve you will achieve. In order for you to
ensure that this happens, here are 5 habits that will dramatically improve your
event management skills.

1.Avoid Procrastination

I love Gary Vaynerchuk. For him, the most important word is HUSTLE. This means that while the rest
are resting, you work. Always hustle to achieve more things. Always try to be
productive. Action is better than words. Action is better than any other
elements of your event management profession. If you are moving, you are
accomplishing a lot of things.

2.No More Assumptions

“This is
a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody
would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody
thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do
it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what
Anybody could have.”

This is
one of the most important stories in my life. It showed that we cannot assume somebody
would do that task for us. We must remove or destroy the silos that divide our
organizations.

Never
assume. Always be proactive, and the best, always check and take action for
things that need our attention and are critical to our success as an event
professional.

3.Say No

The hardest thing to do is the courage to say no. I have heard and read that all successful people and event management professionals are
brave because they know how to say no.

The culture to say yes or the wiring to say yes always dilute our
energy and prevent us from maximizing our full potential.

The courage to say no, and choose your battles will enable you this
year to produce more and achieve more.

4.Find and Achieve Your One Thing

Gary Keller’s best selling book “ The One Thing” is also a habit
that will open a great opportunity to you.

Thinking hard and choosing to achieve The One Thing that matters
most to you this year will put you to greater heights.

But first things first, this One Thing should be bigger than
yourself. It should be something that makes you excited to get up every day and
embrace the challenges of life.

5.Be a Blessing to Others, Everyday

Pablo Picasso said, “ The
meaning of life is finding your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away”.

Being a blessing to others will make your 2017 as an event
management professional a purpose driven life. It will make you happy.

We are in a service driven industry, the more you give your life to
others thru excellent service, and passionate demonstration of your talents and
skills, your 2017 will be one of those amazing years that you will ever have as
an event management professional.